Pleasanton Weekly to hold public forum Sept. 19 for mayoral, City Council candidates

Chamber of Commerce also sponsoring forum on Sept. 9

The Pleasanton Weekly will host a public forum on Monday, Sept. 19 in the Pleasanton City Council chamber for mayoral and council candidates.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. with the forum for Mayor Jerry Thorne, who is seeking re-election to a third two-year term, and challenger Julie Testa starting at 6:30.

The forum for the three candidates seeking the two available seats of the council will follow. Those candidates are incumbent council members Karla Brown and Jerry Pentin and challenger Herb Ritter, who is chair of the city's Planning Commission.

Moderators for the forum will be Gina Channell, publisher of the Pleasanton Weekly, and Jeb Bing, its editor.

On Friday, Sept. 9, the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce will sponsor "Meet the Candidates," a forum to be held from 7:30 to 9 a.m. in the Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Pleasanton.

Both mayoral candidates and the three vying for election to the City Council will face questions about community priorities, including the Johnson Drive Economic Development Zone, transportation, water, workforce housing and civic center/library and the downtown specific plan to help business leaders as well as community members learn of the differences between candidates.

Moderating the forum will be David Stark, who is director of Public Affairs for the Bay East Association of Realtors, headquartered in Pleasanton.